Average Chinese national now eats more protein than an American: UN food agency

The milestone was reached in 2021, according to United Nations data despite US predictions that it would destroy the planet

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While the Chinese diet is relatively healthy with its focus on plant-based proteins, meat consumption has been increasing rapidly in recent years. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 11:00am, 18 Jul 2024Updated: 11:36am, 18 Jul 2024

China has surpassed the US in the amount of daily dietary protein available to its population – an important indicator of a modern quality of life, and one that some commentators and politicians in the West thought would be impossible to achieve.

According to the latest data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), China overtook the US in 2021, reaching a daily supply of 124.61 grams (4.39oz) of protein per capita.

In the same year, Americans had access to 124.33 grams (4.38oz). For comparison, Japan’s daily protein supply per capita was 91.99 grams (3.24oz). It was 108.31 grams (3.82oz) in South Korea, 113.63 grams (4oz) in the United Arab Emirates, and 119.55 grams (4.21oz) in Australia.

Covering 187 countries from 2010 to 2021, the FAO’s food balance sheets measure national supply based on the amount produced plus the quantity imported, giving snapshots of what is potentially available for consumption.

India, which has a population akin to China’s, boasted a mere 70.52 grams (2.48oz) of daily protein supply per capita in 2021, according to the FAO food balance sheets.

Among the other top five populous developing nations, Indonesia reached 79.75 grams (2.81oz), with Pakistan trailing at 70.77 grams (2.49oz) and Nigeria at 59.08 grams (2.08oz).

While China has previously pulled ahead of the US in a range of living standard measures – including life expectancy, healthcare insurance coverage, high-speed rail and 5G – the challenge to outpace American agriculture has been far steeper.